Ant McPartlin has broken his silence after revealing he had welcomed his first child with wife Anne-Marie, as he addressed fans’ accusations he ‘trimmed’ his dog Hurley in his new tattoo.
The presenter, 48, took to X to thank fans for their ‘kind messages’ after announcing the birth of his son Wilder on Tuesday.
In his post, Ant also addressed fans’ concerns that he had ‘rejected’ Hurley with a new tattoo in tribute to his family, after the dog’s name appeared to be missing from the design.
Ant wrote: ‘Hey everyone, just wanted to thank you so much for the kind messages of love and good wishes for our baby Wilder. He’s doing great.
“Glad you liked the tattoo too. For all the dog lovers out there asking why my beloved Hurley wasn’t in the family tree… he was!! He just got mated with our newborn baby. All my love, gratitude and sincere thanks A.”
Ant McPartlin has broken his silence after revealing he had welcomed his first child with wife Anne-Marie (pictured in 2021)
The presenter took to X to thank fans for their ‘kind messages’ after announcing the birth of his son Wilder on Tuesday
In his post, Ant also addressed fans’ concerns that he had ‘rejected’ his beloved dog Hurley with a new tattoo in tribute to his family
Ant then shared a photo showing the full tattoo on his shoulder, with Hurley’s name visible on the tree design.
The tattoo was seen on Ant’s shoulder in an Instagram post in which Ant revealed he had welcomed a son named Wilder Patrick with wife Anne-Marie.
It comes just hours after reports surfaced that Lisa has vowed to fight for custody of their pet Labrador as the fallout from their messy split continues to spread following the birth of his first son.
The Saturday Night Takeaway star split from Lisa in 2018 after 11 years of marriage and married his former personal assistant, Anne-Marie Corbett, in 2021.
This week Ant announced that he and 46-year-old Anne-Marie had welcomed son Wilder Patrick McPartlin into the world – and the news is said to have shattered Lisa, who remains childless at 47 following her bitter divorce from the presenter.
Ant shared an Instagram photo of himself lovingly cradling his son and revealed he was born earlier that day on Tuesday, writing: ‘Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54am. Baby is beautiful, mommy is a legend, sisters are over the moon. Dad’s a mess!’
Since the split, Lisa has had one constant source of support by her side: loyal Labrador Hurley. She shares joint custody of the beloved dog with Ant, but reports say she wants exclusive possession of him – something he is said to have resisted.
But she has reportedly vowed to continue fighting for sole custody of the chocolate Labrador, who regularly appears on her Instagram posts where she calls him “Mama’s baby boy.”
Ant then shared a photo showing the full tattoo on his shoulder, with Hurley’s name visible on the tree design
It comes just hours after reports surfaced that Lisa has vowed to fight for custody of their pet Labrador as the fallout from their messy split continues to spread following the birth of his first son.
Ant – best known as one half of presenting duo Ant and Dec alongside Declan Donnelly – and Lisa adopted Hurley in 2013 after struggling to have a child of their own.
Ant is said to have refused to hand over full custody of Hurley to his ex during their reported £31million divorce battle, reportedly telling lawyers: ‘She can have everything she wants – except the dog.’
The arrangement resulted in the TV presenter’s driver transporting the dog between the two of them so they didn’t have to see each other.
Anne-Marie reportedly expressed her desire to care for the Lab full-time in February – and friends close to the make-up artist say that desire is stronger than ever following the birth of Ant’s firstborn.
“She felt very betrayed by both Ant and Anne-Marie and felt none of this had been handled sensitively, especially the baby announcement,” sources said. The sun.
“The one thing that has gotten her through and been by her side all the time is Hurley: she doesn’t know what she would do without him. He is more than just a dog to her and has been a lifeline at times.”
They added: ‘Ant clearly loves Hurley too, but he has a lot of other responsibilities and things going on in his life now and Lisa doesn’t understand why she can’t have full custody of him. She needs Hurley by her side.”
The former couple reportedly agreed to take turns caring for Hurley, with the agreement being that Ant’s driver would transport the dog between them so they didn’t have to see each other.
But news of Wilder’s birth is said to have hit Lisa hard, especially after years of supporting Ant during a tumultuous period as he battled drug addiction and a drinking problem.
His struggles with alcohol only became public in March 2018 – two months after he and Lisa divorced – when he was involved in a car crash and was charged with drink driving, for which he was fined £86,000.
He went back to rehab and voluntarily disappeared from TV screens for months after talks with his presenter and ITV bosses.
After revealing he has become a dad, Ant was soon inundated with messages from friends including Jamie Redknapp, Davina McCall and Alesha Dixon, who were happy to see the star finally become a father.
He had previously given interviews about wanting to have children while he was still with Lisa, but that never happened.
Ant told Radio Times in 2013: ‘There’s a rumor that I’m waiting to have children until (co-presenter Declan Donnelly) finds herself Mrs Right.’
‘I like that idea, but I’m afraid it’s not true. Lisa and I really want children. Tried. When you get older, it’s harder than you think.’
Dec is now happily married to his wife Ali Astall, with whom he shares daughter Isla, five-year-old and one-year-old son Jack.
Ant and Dec hit the pause button on primetime weekend Saturday Night Takeaway after the 20th series, which aired last month, to spend more time with their families.
The Geordie duo said the milestone was the ‘perfect time to pause and catch your breath’.
Lisa, who split from new boyfriend James Green last year after three years, is said to be on holiday in Portugal this week after sharing a cryptic post on Instagram about enduring ‘silent battles’.
It featured a motivational quote meme: “Be proud of how you’ve handled the past few months.
“The silent battles you fought, the moments you had to humble yourself, the times you wiped your own tears. Celebrate your power.”
MailOnline has contacted Ant’s representatives for comment.
The former couple reportedly agreed to take turns caring for Hurley (Ant is pictured with the dog in 2017)
Ant has been outspoken in the past about his desire to have children and spoke publicly about how he tried to have a child with his ex-wife Lisa.
When news of Anne-Marie’s pregnancy was announced, it was claimed that Ant was over the moon as he didn’t think fatherhood was in the cards for him.
A source said The sun on time: ‘This is the news everyone wanted. Ant and Anne-Marie are extremely delighted. It’s no secret that Ant has always wanted children, but the fact that it might never happen for him was something he had unfortunately come to terms with.
‘When they heard it last year, they were very happy, but of course they kept the news quiet for as long as possible.
‘To have a child with the love of his life two years before his 50th birthday is a dream for Ant.
Hurley was adopted by the former couple in 2013 after they struggled to conceive a child together
“He is already a wonderful, loving father to Anne-Marie’s children, and together they will be brilliant parents to this newest addition to the family.”
In February, Ant broke his silence about first-time fatherhood in a candid interview, in which he spoke about taking a break from hosting Saturday Night Takeaway.
Ant opened up about the real reasons for the show’s hiatus in an interview with Fault Magazine as he publicly discussed his wife’s pregnancy for the first time. He said, ‘We [he and Declan Donnelly] We both have children that we need to spend time with for a while.
“We need time to think and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and see where we are today.”